The Leechburg Blue Devils will square off against the Western Beaver Golden Beavers at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Leechburg will bounce into Monday's matchup after beating Union Area, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Leechburg put the hurt on Union Area with a sharp 18-3 victory on Tuesday. That's two games straight that the Blue Devils have won by exactly 15 runs.
Garrett Jones made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. Jones was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Mason Bertino was incredible, going 2-for-4 with two triples, two runs, and two RBI. Those two triples gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jaxon Vargo, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Leechburg always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Union Area only posted an OBP of .353.
Meanwhile, Western Beaver has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.8 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Sewickley Academy, sneaking past 12-10. Winning may never get old, but the Golden Beavers sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Western Beaver got a massive performance out of Benji Valdez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Valdez also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Christian Stefankis was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Leechburg now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Western Beaver, their win bumped their record up to 4-1.
Monday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Leechburg has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .545. However, it's not like Western Beaver struggles in that department as they've averaged .504. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
